The highest scorer in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is the footballer who scores the most goals. More than 1,250 football players have scored almost 2,000 goals in the previous 21 editions.
Since the tournament’s inception in 1930, 97 players have scored five goals or more. These 97 top scorers represent 28 different nations, with 14 from Brazil and 14 from Germany among them.
Only four players are from another continent, with 64 top scorers being from Europe, 29 from South America, and only four from another continent.
There are just six players that score two or more goals each game on average. Sándor Kocsis of Hungary, Just Fontaine of France, Guillermo Stábile of Argentina, Oleg Salenko of Russia, Josef Hügi of Switzerland, and Ernst Wilimowski of Germany are among them (Poland).
| Goals | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| Players | >750 | >200 | >90 | >50 | 34 | 26 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
There are 7 players who have scored more than 10 goals in the World Cup, while almost 1,100 footballers have scored less than 5 goals.
Top Scorer World Cup 2022
The highest goal scorer for the 2022 World Cup has yet to be determined. There are, however, a lot of competitors for the most goals scored in Qatar.
These are the favorites to win the World Cup in 2022 as the best scorer:
- Harry Kane (England)
- Kylian Mbappe (France)
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- Karim Benzema (France)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
- Neymar (Brazil)
- Raheem Sterling (England)
- Marcus Rashford (England)
The highest scorer in the 2022 World Cup is almost always an attacker from a team that has progressed far in the competition. A player’s chances of scoring goals improve as he plays more matches.
| # | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harry Kane |  England |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappé |  France |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo |  Portugal |
| 4 | Karim Benzema | France |
| 5 | Lionel Messi |  Argentina |
| 6 | Romelu Lukaku |  Belgium |
| 7 | Neymar |  Brazil |
| 8 | Raheem Sterling | England |
| 9 | Diogo Jota | Portugal |
| 10 | Jose Vinicius | Brazil |
| 11 | Memphis Depay |  Netherlands |
| 12 | Antoine Griezmann | France |
| 13 | Gebriel Jesus | Brazil |
| 14 | Kai Havertz |  Germany |
| 15 | Lautaro Martinez | Argentina |
| 16 | Phil Foden | England |
| 17 | Álvaro Morata |  Spain |
| 18 | Arnaut Danjuma | Netherlands |
| 19 | Andrade Richarlison | Brazil |
| 20 | Donyell Malen | Netherlands |
The strongest chances for the championship are Harry Kane (England), Kylian Mbappe (France), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Karim Benzema (France), and Lionel Messi (Argentina). According to the oddsmakers, Harry Kane, an Englishman, is in the first place. Also in the top 20 are Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden.
Top scorer World Cup 2022 qualification
With 14 goals, Ali Mabkhout of the United Arab Emirates leads the 2022 World Cup qualifying. Wu Lei of China is in second place with 12 goals, followed by Canadian Cyle Larin.
Harry Kane and Memphis Depay have scored the most goals in the European qualifying round.
| Player | Country | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis Depay | Netherlands |
12 |
| Harry Kane | England |
12 |
| Eran Zahavi |  Israel |
8 |
| Robert Lewandowski |  Poland |
8 |
| Aleksandar Mitrović |  Serbia |
8 |
| Antoine Griezmann | France |
6 |
| Moanes Dabour | Israel |
6 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
6 |
There were 800 matches played in the qualifying series, with 2,278 goals scored. This equates to 2.8 goals per game!
World Cup Top Scorers of all time
With 16 goals in 24 matches, Germany’s Miroslav Klose is the all-time leading scorer in the FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo of Brazil is second with 15 goals in 19 games, while Gerd Müller of Germany is third with 14 goals in 13 games.
The top scorers in World Cup history are listed below.
| # | Player | Country | Goals | Matches | Average | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miroslav Klose | Germany |
16 | 24 | 0,67 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 2 | Ronaldo | Brazil |
15 | 19 | 0,79 | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 3 | Gerd Müller | Germany |
14 | 13 | 1,08 | 1970, 1974 |
| 4 | Just Fontaine | France |
13 | 6 | 2,17 | 1958 |
| 5 | Pelé | Brazil |
12 | 14 | 0,86 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| 6 | Sándor Kocsis |  Hungary |
11 | 5 | 2,20 | 1954 |
| 6 | Jürgen Klinsmann | Germany |
11 | 17 | 0,65 | 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| 8 | Helmut Rahn | Germany |
10 | 10 | 1,00 | 1954, 1958 |
| 8 | Gary Lineker | England |
10 | 12 | 0,83 | 1986, 1990 |
| 8 | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina |
10 | 12 | 0,83 | 1994, 1998, 2002 |
| 8 | Teófilo Cubillas |  Peru |
10 | 13 | 0,77 | 1970, 1978, 1982 |
| 8 | Thomas Müller | Germany |
10 | 16 | 0,63 | 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| 8 | Grzegorz Lato | Poland |
10 | 20 | 0,50 | 1974, 1978, 1982 |
| 14 | Eusébio | Portugal |
9 | 6 | 1,50 | 1966 |
| 14 | Christian Vieri |  Italy |
9 | 9 | 1,00 | 1998, 2002 |
| 14 | Vavá | Brazil |
9 | 10 | 0,90 | 1958, 1962 |
| 14 | David Villa | Spain |
9 | 12 | 0,75 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 14 | Paolo Rossi | Italy |
9 | 14 | 0,64 | 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| 14 | Jairzinho | Brazil |
9 | 16 | 0,56 | 1966, 1970, 1974 |
| 14 | Roberto Baggio | Italy |
9 | 16 | 0,56 | 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| 14 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Germany |
9 | 19 | 0,47 | 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| 14 | Uwe Seeler | Germany |
9 | 21 | 0,43 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| 23 | Guillermo Stábile | Argentina |
8 | 4 | 2,00 | 1930 |
| 23 | Leônidas | Brazil |
8 | 5 | 1,60 | 1934, 1938 |
| 23 | Ademir | Brazil |
8 | 6 | 1,33 | 1950 |
| 23 | Óscar Míguez |  Uruguay |
8 | 7 | 1,14 | 1950, 1954 |
| 23 | Rivaldo | Brazil |
8 | 14 | 0,57 | 1998, 2002 |
| 23 | Rudi Völler | Germany |
8 | 15 | 0,53 | 1986, 1990, 1994 |
| 23 | Diego Maradona | Argentina |
8 | 21 | 0,38 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 |
| 30 | Oldřich Nejedlý |  Czech Republic |
7 | 6 | 1,17 | 1934, 1938 |
| 30 | Lajos Tichy | Hungary |
7 | 8 | 0,88 | 1958, 1962, 1966 |
| 30 | Careca | Brazil |
7 | 9 | 0,78 | 1986, 1990 |
| 30 | Johnny Rep | Netherlands |
7 | 13 | 0,54 | 1974, 1978 |
| 30 | Andrzej Szarmach | Poland |
7 | 13 | 0,54 | 1974, 1978, 1982 |
| 30 | Luis Suárez | Uruguay |
7 | 13 | 0,54 | 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| 30 | Hans Schäfer | Germany |
7 | 15 | 0,47 | 1954, 1958, 1962 |
| 30 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
7 | 17 | 0,41 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| 38 | Josef Hügi |  Switzerland |
6 | 3 | 2,00 | 1954 |
| 38 | Oleg Salenko |  Russia |
6 | 3 | 2,00 | 1994 |
| 38 | György Sárosi | Hungary |
6 | 5 | 1,20 | 1934, 1938 |
| 38 | Max Morlock | Germany |
6 | 5 | 1,20 | 1954 |
| 38 | Erich Probst |  Austria |
6 | 5 | 1,20 | 1954 |
| 38 | Harry Kane | England |
6 | 6 | 1,00 | 2018 |
| 38 | Salvatore Schillaci | Italy |
6 | 7 | 0,86 | 1990 |
| 38 | Davor Šuker |  Croatia |
6 | 8 | 0,75 | 1990, 1998, 2002 |
| 38 | James Rodríguez |  Colombia |
6 | 8 | 0,75 | 2014, 2018 |
| 38 | Helmut Haller | Germany |
6 | 9 | 0,67 | 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| 38 | Hristo Stoichkov |  Bulgaria |
6 | 10 | 0,60 | 1994, 1998 |
| 38 | Diego Forlán | Uruguay |
6 | 10 | 0,60 | 2002, 2010, 2014 |
| 38 | Neymar | Brazil |
6 | 10 | 0,60 | 2014, 2018 |
| 38 | Asamoah Gyan |  Ghana |
6 | 11 | 0,55 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 38 | Dennis Bergkamp | Netherlands |
6 | 12 | 0,50 | 1994, 1998 |
| 38 | Rob Rensenbrink | Netherlands |
6 | 13 | 0,46 | 1974, 1978 |
| 38 | Rivellino | Brazil |
6 | 15 | 0,40 | 1970, 1974, 1978 |
| 38 | Bebeto | Brazil |
6 | 15 | 0,40 | 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| 38 | Arjen Robben | Netherlands |
6 | 15 | 0,40 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 38 | Zbigniew Boniek | Poland |
6 | 16 | 0,38 | 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| 38 | Thierry Henry | France |
6 | 17 | 0,35 | 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 |
| 38 | Wesley Sneijder | Netherlands |
6 | 17 | 0,35 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 38 | Robin van Persie | Netherlands |
6 | 17 | 0,35 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 38 | Mario Kempes | Argentina |
6 | 18 | 0,33 | 1974, 1978, 1982 |
| 38 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
6 | 19 | 0,32 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| 38 | Lothar Matthäus | Germany |
6 | 25 | 0,24 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| 64 | Pedro Cea | Uruguay |
5 | 4 | 1,25 | 1930 |
| 64 | Silvio Piola | Italy |
5 | 4 | 1,25 | 1938 |
| 64 | Gyula Zsengellér | Hungary |
5 | 4 | 1,25 | 1938 |
| 64 | Peter McParland |  Northern Ireland |
5 | 5 | 1,00 | 1958 |
| 64 | Tomáš Skuhravý | Czech Republic |
5 | 5 | 1,00 | 1990 |
| 64 | Juan Alberto Schiaffino | Uruguay |
5 | 6 | 0,83 | 1950, 1954 |
| 64 | Geoff Hurst | England |
5 | 6 | 0,83 | 1966, 1970 |
| 64 | Jon Dahl Tomasson |  Denmark |
5 | 6 | 0,83 | 2002, 2010 |
| 64 | Alessandro Altobelli | Italy |
5 | 7 | 0,71 | 1982, 1986 |
| 64 | Kennet Andersson |  Sweden |
5 | 7 | 0,71 | 1994 |
| 64 | Fernando Morientes | Spain |
5 | 7 | 0,71 | 1998, 2002 |
| 64 | Romário | Brazil |
5 | 8 | 0,63 | 1990, 1994 |
| 64 | Marc Wilmots | Belgium |
5 | 8 | 0,63 | 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 |
| 64 | Mario Mandžukić | Croatia |
5 | 8 | 0,63 | 2014, 2018 |
| 64 | Valentin Ivanov | Russia |
5 | 9 | 0,56 | 1958, 1962 |
| 64 | Emilio Butragueño | Spain |
5 | 9 | 0,56 | 1986, 1990 |
| 64 | Roger Milla |  Cameroon |
5 | 9 | 0,56 | 1982, 1990, 1994 |
| 64 | Tim Cahill |  Australia |
5 | 9 | 0,56 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| 64 | Hans Krankl | Austria |
5 | 10 | 0,50 | 1978, 1982 |
| 64 | Romelu Lukaku | Belgium |
5 | 10 | 0,50 | 2014, 2018 |
| 64 | Ivan Perišić | Croatia |
5 | 10 | 0,50 | 2014, 2018 |
| 64 | Raúl | Spain |
5 | 11 | 0,45 | 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 64 | Garrincha | Brazil |
5 | 12 | 0,42 | 1958, 1962, 1966 |
| 64 | Johan Neeskens | Netherlands |
5 | 12 | 0,42 | 1974, 1978 |
| 64 | Fernando Hierro | Spain |
5 | 12 | 0,42 | 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 |
| 64 | Zinedine Zidane | France |
5 | 12 | 0,42 | 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 64 | Landon Donovan |  United States |
5 | 12 | 0,42 | 2002, 2006, 2010 |
| 64 | Henrik Larsson | Sweden |
5 | 13 | 0,38 | 1994, 2002, 2006 |
| 64 | Michel Platini | France |
5 | 14 | 0,36 | 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| 64 | Zico | Brazil |
5 | 14 | 0,36 | 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| 64 | Gonzalo Higuaín | Argentina |
5 | 14 | 0,36 | 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| 64 | Edinson Cavani | Uruguay |
5 | 14 | 0,36 | 2010, 2014, 2018 |
| 64 | Lukas Podolski | Germany |
5 | 15 | 0,33 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 64 | Franz Beckenbauer | Germany |
5 | 18 | 0,28 | 1966, 1970, 1974 |
Best English top scorers are Gary Lineker (10x), Harry Kane (6x), and Geoff Hurst (5x).
All-time top scorers per World Cup
Guillermo Stábile of Argentina was the inaugural World Cup top scorer in 1930. Harry Kane of England was the most recent World Cup top scorer in 2018.
The highest scorers in each World Cup are listed below.
| Year | Player | Country | Goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Guillermo Stábile | Argentina |
8 | 4 |
| 1934 | Oldřich Nejedlý | Czech Republic |
5 | 4 |
| 1938 | Leônidas | Brazil |
7 | 5 |
| 1950 | Ademir | Brazil |
8 | 6 |
| 1954 | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary |
11 | 5 |
| 1958 | Just Fontaine | France |
13 | 6 |
| 1962 | Garrincha | Brazil |
4 | 6 |
| 1962 | Vavá | Brazil |
4 | 6 |
| 1962 | Leonel Sánchez |  Chili |
4 | 6 |
| 1962 | Flórián Albert | Hungary |
4 | 4 |
| 1962 | Valentin Ivanov | Russia |
4 | 4 |
| 1962 | Dražan Jerković |  Yugoslavia |
4 | 6 |
| 1966 | Eusébio | Portugal |
9 | 6 |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | Germany |
10 | 6 |
| 1974 | Grzegorz Lato | Poland |
7 | 7 |
| 1978 | Mario Kempes | Argentina |
6 | 7 |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy |
6 | 7 |
| 1986 | Gary Lineker | England |
6 | 5 |
| 1990 | Salvatore Schillaci | Italy |
6 | 7 |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria |
6 | 7 |
| 1994 | Oleg Salenko | Russia |
6 | 3 |
| 1998 | Davor Šuker | Croatia |
6 | 7 |
| 2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil |
8 | 7 |
| 2006 | Miroslav Klose | Germany |
5 | 7 |
| 2010 | Thomas Müller | Germany |
5 | 7 |
| 2010 | Wesley Sneijder | Netherlands |
5 | 7 |
| 2010 | David Villa | Spain |
5 | 7 |
| 2010 | Diego Forlán | Uruguay |
5 | 7 |
| 2014 | James Rodríguez | Colombia |
6 | 5 |
| 2018 | Harry Kane | England |
6 | 7 |
In 1986 Gary Lineker was World Cup’s top scorer with 6 goals and in 2018 Harry Kane scored the most goals (also 6).
